Besides, wasn’t the Thunder the Seattle SuperSonics before Oklahoma City acquired them? And didn’t Oklahoma City try to poach the then-Hornets from post-Katrina New Orleans?

Durant wants to win a title. If he thinks the grass is greener in the Bay Area, he is right to exercise that freedom.

The Warriors are going to be great, maybe again even 73 wins great. But last time I checked, the NBA still plays with only one basketball.

Chandler Parsons missed 37 games over his two seasons in Dallas, and seemed to be half-injured for at least 37 others.

On paper, adding Durant to the league’s most talented roster is a no-brainer. But who leads and who follows, once that new lineup starts to dance?

The Mavericks, bless their hearts, won’t have to watch it from afar, after all. They will be fun. They’ll be younger.

Chandler Parsons is gone, but to be honest, Mavericks fans should already be accustomed to not seeing him. Parsons missed 37 games over his two seasons here, and seemed to be half-injured for at least 37 others.

In Powell, who knows? They may well have a Parsons starter kit. There were spurts last season when the Stanford product impressed with his athleticism.

Barnes is only 24 and two years ago was the seventh player selected in the NBA Draft.

Some contend that he was an expendable part on a Golden State team that made even the janitor look better. I would argue, though, that he has a star quality that the Mavericks were justified to invest in.

Of course, in order to blend in the youth movement, coach Rick Carlisle has to start playing a few youngsters. But I don’t think the franchise would have even made the four-year, $37 million offer to Powell unless Carlisle had already signed off on it.

They will be younger next season. And the Mavericks will have a veteran nucleus to guide them.

As it turned out, they had a salvage plan. Once burned, they had to have one.